1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polycyclic antitumor antibiotic designated herein as anandimycin and to its preparation by fermentation of a new microorganism Streptomyces anandii subsp. araffinosus strain C-22,437 (ATCC 31431).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Published Patent Application 55/57,586 discloses an antitumor antibiotic DC-38 (component Ia) of unknown structure which appears to have the same or very similar physicochemical properties to the anandimycin antibiotic of the present invention. Further studies are underway to confirm whether anandimycin is identical with DC-38 Ia.
The antibiotic toromycin disclosed in Agric. Biol. Chem. 44 (5):1157-1163 (1980) also appears to have properties identical with or very similar to both anandimycin and DC-38 Ia. As in the case with DC-38 Ia, further studies are underway to establish whether anandimycin and toromycin are the same chemical substance.
Anandimycin is similar to the antibiotic chartreusin disclosed in J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 75:4011 (1953), J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 80:1636, 1639 (1958) and Helv. Chim. Acta 43:58 (1960) in certain of its physicochemical and biological properties. Differences in such properties as elemental analysis, ultraviolet absorption spectrum and molecular weight, however, clearly distinguish these two polycyclic antibiotics.